Radial arm saw

ABSTRACT

A radial arm saw capable of use with various type portable saws such as saber saws, routers, circular saws, etc. for providing linear cuts and circular cuts of varying diameter. The radial arm saw includes a support column, a transverse arm rotatably mounted at one end on the upper column and rotatably supporting at its other end a trackway on which a carriage assembly has relatively rotatable upper and lower portions, the latter of which supports a tool holding frame adjustable in size to accommodate various type tools and provide circular cuts of varying diameters. In addition, the tool frame is linearly adjustable to the carriage assembly to provide a straight cut as desired.

[ June 12, 1973 RADIAL ARM sAw Neill R. Wilson, Box 538, Berryville, Va.22611 22 Filed: May 18, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 38,034

[76] Inventor:

[52] US. Cl. 83/761, 144/134 B, 144/1 R [51] Int. Cl B271) 5/20, 1327b27/06 [58] Field of Search 143/6, 6 A, 6 G,

143/7, 47 F, 47; 144/134 B, 134 C, 136, l R, 134

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,722,952 11/1955 Snyder143/6.A 3,080,897 3/1963 Winter 143/7 2,987,083 6/1961 Ross et al. 143/6A 3,007,499 11/1961 Dobslaw 143/6 A Primary Examiner-Donald R. SchranAttorney-William A. Strauch, James E. Nolan, J. Matthews Neale et a1.

[5 7] ABSTRACT A radial arm saw capable of use with various typeportable saws such as saber saws, routers, circular saws, etc. forproviding linear cuts and circular cuts of varying diameter. The radialarm saw includes a support column, a transverse arm rotatably mounted atone end on the upper column and rotatably supporting at its other end atrackway on which a carriage assembly has relatively rotatable upper andlower portions, the latter 'of which supports a tool holding frameadjustable in size to accommodate various type tools and providecircular cuts of varying diameters. in addition, the tool frame islinearly adjustable to the carriage assembly to provide a straight cutas desired.

19 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PAIENIEB 1 2 m5 INVENTOR NE/LL 1? WILSONRADIAL ARM sAw BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates tomachines that are commonly called radial arm saws." Machines of thistype normally have a vertical column, an arm supported by the column andangularly movable about the column in a horizontal plane, a carriagesupported by the arm in such a manner as to be movable along the arm anda motor driven tool supported by the carriage and movable therewith.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The broad object of this invention is theprovision of a radial arm type sawing or cutting machine which isespecially designed for use in connection with portable motor drivensaws, or routers for crosscutting, ripping, mitering, routing andvarious other wood as well as metal working operations. Such operationsbeing accomplished in a particularly efficient and accurate manner.

An object of this invention is to provide a radial arm machine which iscapable of utilizing the sabre type portable saw and the portable routeras well as the circular type saw and is capable of holding the powertool in such a manner that the tool may be moved into the work while thework is held stationary or the work moved into the tool while the toolis held stationary.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of means foraccomplishing circular cuts with'the sabre saw or router by providingmeans for locking the saw or router with respect to the carriage andalso looking the carriage with respect to the arm while allowing the armto swing about its pivot during the cutting operation. Circular cuts ofsmaller diameter may also be accomplished by the provision of means forallowing the saw or router to swing or rotate during cutting about thecenter of the carriage while the carriage is locked.

to the arm and the arm is locked to the column.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of means forlinearly moving the tool with. respect to the carriage before 'or'during the cutting operation, thus allowing the radius of small diametercircular cuts to be adjusted as well'as providing a means for makinglinear cuts at any chosenangle with respect to the arm.

A still further object of this invention istheprovision to an offsetcolumn which allows the work to be placed under and beyond the axisofrotation of the arm, thus substantially increasing the ripping capacityof the machine as well as allowing the cutting of large circular workpieces.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. I is a partially sectioned frontelevation viewof the radial arm saw of the invention with-a conventionalportable saber saw mounted thereon for usage therewith;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary partially sectioned view takengenerally in the direction of line 22 of FIG. 3 and illustrating thetoolholdingframe and manner in which it is movably mounted onfthecarriageassembly;

FIG. 3 is a sectionaltview taken-along. line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary. view illustrating a conventional portablecircularsaw mounted on the machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view of a conventional portable router mountedon the machine of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to thedrawings, the radial arm saw 10 comprises support bar 12 on which a worktable 14 is mounted and a carriage and tool holder assembly 16 supportedin operative working association above table 14. The carriage and toolholder support includes a vertical tubular column 18 axially slidable intubular post 20 by movement of a handcrank screw mechanism 22, ahorizontal transverse support arm 24 rotatably mounted at one end on theupper end of column 18 and having its outer end capable of extendingover the geometrical center of table 14, and an elongated horizontaltrackway 26 journalled on the outer end of arm 24, with assembly 16being reciprocable along trackway 26.

Arm 24 has a bearing mounted pad 28 which rests on a mating bearing pad30 welded on column 18, and once the arm is rotatably adjusted in adesired position over table 14, it is locked in place by rotation oflever 32 which draws plate 34 tightly up against plate 36 welded in theupper end of column 18.

Similarly arm 24 has at its outer end a cylindrical mounting pad 38cooperating with a mating cylindrical mounting pad 40 on trackway 26,with a coaxial journal pin 42 extending through the cylindrical pads andjournalling arm 24 andtrackway 26 together for relative rotationtherebetween. The arm and trackway may be lodked together againstrelative movement simply by turning lever 44 which draws pads 38 and 40tightly together in a known manner.

The carriage and tool holding assembly 16 includes carriage 46 having anupper portion 48 reciprocably mounted along trackway 26 by anyconventional means, such as the cooperating roller and groove structure50, with the carriage being lockable at any location along track 26 by aconventional locking device 52..

Upper carriage portion 48 has at its lower end a cylindrical mountingpad 54 which mates with a cylindricalv mounting. pad 56 on the lowercarriage portion 58, with pads 54' and 56 being journalled together forrelative rotation by journal pin 60. When desired, the pads may be drawntightly together to prevent relative movement therebetween by turninglocking device 62 which-suitably moves journal pin 60 to alockingposition' through the use of any suitable conventional drive connectionsuch as a helical gear connection or cooperating cam assembly.

Lower carriage portion 58 includes an internal longitudinally threadedbore 64 and a lower horizontal bore 66 0f generally rectangular crosssection cut out at its lower end to form a slot 68 across the bottom ofcarriage portion 58.

A tool holding frame 70 is supported from carriage portion 58 andincludes a first tubular open ended rectangular bar 72 slidably mountedin bore 66, a second rectangular bar 74 telescopically slidably fittingwithin tubular-bar 72, with bar 72 having a bottom slot 76 extendingfrom one free end to a location short of its other end from which a toolsupporting bracket 78' is suspended from.the free end of bar 74.

Bars 72 and 74 are thus slidably adjustable relative to each other otvary the spacing between support brackets 78 and 80, with a set screw 82extending upwardly through slots 68 and 76 and bar 74 into engagementwith the upper wall of bar 72 to lock the bars against relativemovement, and hence provide a fixed spacing between support brackets 78and 80.

The entire tool holding frame 70 may be moved horizontally relative tocarriage portion 58 by rotation of feed screw 84 rotatably connected tothe ends of arm 72 and extending through the threaded bore 64.

Each of the tool support brackets 78 and 80 includes a downwardlyextending fork 86 and an inverted T- shaped member 88 connected to thebottom ends thereof, with member 88 providing horizontal tool basesupporting lips 90 and a vertical web portion 92 having openings 94 toreceive tool clamping screw jigs 96. As shown, for example, in FIG. 1,jigs 96 securely clamp the base plate of a conventional sabre saw tolips 90.

From the above detailed description, it is apparent that the inventionprovides a highly versatile radial arm saw with which any type portablecutting tool may be employed to produce cuts of various shapes anddimentions as desired by the operator. For example, straight linear cutsmay be produced by moving the entire carriage and tool holding assemblyalong trackway 26 while the arm 24 is locked to arm 24, and the upperand lower portions of the carriage 46 are locked together. A linear cutmay also be provided merely by moving the tool holding frame 70 relativeto carriage 46 by rotation of the feed screw 84, while all otherrelatively movable elements are held stationary.

Circular cuts of various diameters may be provided in several ways. Thearm 24 and entire carriage assembly 16 may be rotated about the upperend of column 18 to give a circular cut of very large dimensions.Alternatively, with support arm 24 fixed to the column 18, trackway 26may be rotated about journal pin 42 to produce a circular cut.Similarly, with arm 24 and track 26 fixed the upper and lower portionsof carriage 46 may be relatively rotated to provide a circular cut. inaddition, as espedially illustrated in FIG. 2, since the bar 74 may beinserted in either of the open ends of tubular bar 72, the cutting toolmay be supported at various given radii from the axis of rotation ofjournal pin 60, and hence provide circular cuts of any desireddimentions.

Because of its versatility, the radial arm saw is highly useful andadvantageous since it is readily adaptable for employment with varioustype portable hand power saws such as a circular saw (FIG. 4) androuters (FIG. and is especially appealing to persons such as hobbiestsand homeowners who often find it necessary to adapt their portable handtools for various type jobs.

What I claim is:

l. A radial arm machine for supporting a portable power tool comprisingan upstanding support column, a laterally projecting support arm on saidcolumn, laterally extending track means pivotally mounted on said arm, acarriage mounted on said track means for longitudinal sliding movementtherealong, tool holding means connected to said carriage for detachablymounting thereon a normally manually manipulatable portable power tool,said tool holding means including releaseable clamp means which enablesa plurality of various types of portable power tools to be quickly andeasily mounted on and removed from said tool holding means, and meansassociated with said carriage capable of effecting linear movement ofsaid tool holding means with respect to the carriage during the cuttingoperation.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said portable power tool is asabre saw.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said portable power tool is acircular saw.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said portable power tool is arouter.

5. A radial arm power tool machine comprising an upstanding supportcolumn, a laterally projecting arm on said column, laterally extendingtrack means rotatably mounted on said arm, a carriage mounted on saidtrack means for longitudinal sliding movement therealong, a power driventool mounted on said carriage and moveable therewith and meansassociated with said carriage for moving said tool linearly with respectto said carriage.

6. The combination of claim 5 wherein said tool is a router and saidmeans associated with said carriage for moving said tool linearly withrespect to said carriage causes said router to be moved in a directionthat is normal to the axis of rotation of the router cutter.

7. The machine of claim 5, wherein said power tool is a sabre saw.

8. The machine of claim 5, wherein said power tool is a circular saw.

9. A radial arm machine for supporting a power driven tool comprising anupstanding support, laterally projecting support means on saidupstanding support, a carriage mounted on said support means forlongitudinal sliding movement therealong, tool holding means formounting a power driven tool, and adjustable means connecting said toolholding means to said carriage for moving said tool linearly withrespect to said carriage in a plane substantially parallel to the planeof said support means.

10. The machine of claim 9 wherein said tool is a router and saidadjustable means causes said router to be moved in a direction that isnormal to the axis of rotation of the router cutter.

11. The machine of claim 9, wherein said power tool is a sabre saw.

12. The machine of claim 9, wherein said tool is a circular saw.

13. A radial arm machine for supporting a power tool comprising anupright support column, a laterally projecting support arm rotatablymounted on said support column, laterally extending track meansrotatably mounted on said support arm, a carriage having an upperportion mounted on said track means for reciprocable movement therealongand a lower portion rotatable relative to said upper portion, a toolholding frame connected to said lower portion and including adjustablemeans for moving said tool linearly with respect to said carriage toposition said tool relative to the axis of rotation of said lowerportion as desired.

14. A radial arm machine as defined in claim 13, said tool holding framecomprising a first tubular member slidably mounted in said lowerportion, a second member slidably mounted in said first member, toolsupporting brackets connected to the free ends of said first and secondmembers with the spacing between said brackets being varied by movingsaid first and second members relative to each other, said adjustablemeans connected between said first member and said lower portion to movesaid first member and said tool laterally relative to said lowerportion.

15. A radial arm machine comprising support means, a laterallyprojecting support arm connected to said support means, a carriagemounted on said support arm for sliding movement therealong, toolholding means having releasable clamp means for detachably mounting anormally manually manipulatable portable power tool, said tool holdingmeans being so constructed and arranged to enable a plurality ofdifferent types of portable power tools to be quickly and easily mountedon and removed from said machine, and adjustable means connecting saidtool holding means to said carriage for moving said tool linearly withrespect to said carriage in a plane substantially parallel to the planeof said supmounted on said tool holding means.

1. A radial arm machine for supporting a portable power tool comprisingan upstanding support column, a laterally projecting support arm on saidcolumn, laterally extending track means pivotally mounted on said arm, acarriage mounted on said track means for longitudinal sliding movementtherealong, tool holding means connected to said carriage for detachablymounting thereon a normally manually manipulatable portable power tool,said tool holding means including releaseable clamp means which enablesa plurality of various types of portable power tools to be quickly andeasily mounted on and removed from said tool holding means, and meansassociated with said carriage capable of effecting linear movement ofsaid tool holding means with respect to the carriage during the cuttingoperation.
 2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said portable powertool is a sabre saw.
 3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said portablepower tool is a circular saw.
 4. The combination of claim 1 wherein saidportable power tool is a router.
 5. A radial arm power tool machinecomprising an upstanding support column, a laterally projecting arm onsaid column, laterally extending track means rotatably mounted on saidarm, a carriage mounted on said track means for longitudinal slidingmovement therealong, a power driven tool mounted on said carriage andmoveable therewith , and means associated with said carriage for movingsaid tool linearly with respect to said carriage.
 6. The combination ofclaim 5 wherein said tool is a router and said means associated withsaid carriage for moving said tool linearly with respect to saidcarriage causes said router to be moved in a direction that is normal tothe axis of rotation of the router cutter.
 7. THe machine of claim 5,wherein said power tool is a sabre saw.
 8. The machine of claim 5,wherein said power tool is a circular saw.
 9. A radial arm machine forsupporting a power driven tool comprising an upstanding support,laterally projecting support means on said upstanding support, acarriage mounted on said support means for longitudinal sliding movementtherealong, tool holding means for mounting a power driven tool, andadjustable means connecting said tool holding means to said carriage formoving said tool linearly with respect to said carriage in a planesubstantially parallel to the plane of said support means.
 10. Themachine of claim 9 wherein said tool is a router and said adjustablemeans causes said router to be moved in a direction that is normal tothe axis of rotation of the router cutter.
 11. The machine of claim 9,wherein said power tool is a sabre saw.
 12. The machine of claim 9,wherein said tool is a circular saw.
 13. A radial arm machine forsupporting a power tool comprising an upright support column, alaterally projecting support arm rotatably mounted on said supportcolumn, laterally extending track means rotatably mounted on saidsupport arm, a carriage having an upper portion mounted on said trackmeans for reciprocable movement therealong and a lower portion rotatablerelative to said upper portion, a tool holding frame connected to saidlower portion and including adjustable means for moving said toollinearly with respect to said carriage to position said tool relative tothe axis of rotation of said lower portion as desired.
 14. A radial armmachine as defined in claim 13, said tool holding frame comprising afirst tubular member slidably mounted in said lower portion, a secondmember slidably mounted in said first member, tool supporting bracketsconnected to the free ends of said first and second members with thespacing between said brackets being varied by moving said first andsecond members relative to each other, said adjustable means connectedbetween said first member and said lower portion to move said firstmember and said tool laterally relative to said lower portion.
 15. Aradial arm machine comprising support means, a laterally projectingsupport arm connected to said support means, a carriage mounted on saidsupport arm for sliding movement therealong, tool holding means havingreleasable clamp means for detachably mounting a normally manuallymanipulatable portable power tool, said tool holding means being soconstructed and arranged to enable a plurality of different types ofportable power tools to be quickly and easily mounted on and removedfrom said machine, and adjustable means connecting said tool holdingmeans to said carriage for moving said tool linearly with respect tosaid carriage in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of saidsupport arm.
 16. The machine of claim 15, said tool holding meansincluding a plurality of clamp members laterally spaced from each other,and an opening between said clamp members through which the cutting toolof a portable power tool may extend toward a workpiece to be cut. 17.The machine of claim 16, wherein a sabre saw is mounted on said toolholding means.
 18. The machine of claim 16, wherein a circular saw ismounted on said tool holding means.
 19. The machine of claim 16, whereina router is mounted on said tool holding means.